Phantom 3 Standard vs Advanced

solitude127 · Sep 17, 2015

With the price drop on the P3S, is the extra $300 worth it to upgrade to the P3A? I don't plan on flying out of sight and don't plan on anything higher than 400ft. Is lightbridge worth it? I'll be using this primarily for recreational use.

msinger · Sep 17, 2015

Not only will you get Lightbridge, you'll get a better remote controller and be able to connect to more satellites. You can see the other differences here:

Compare the Phantom 3 Series - Phantom Help

nickyb · Sep 17, 2015

Tons better, as already mentioned both gps and goo as sats for better, faster lock on. Light bridge to enable 720p up to 2km, and upgraded camera to 2.7k

dirtybum · Sep 17, 2015

If you never owned a phantom before and dont have the exta$
Youll be thrilled with standard! If youve been flying a p2v+ then you need to get the advanced or its not enough of an upgrade to justify $700

solitude127 · Sep 17, 2015

dirtybum said:
If you never owned a phantom before and dont have the exta$
Youll be thrilled with standard! If youve been flying a p2v+ then you need to get the advanced or its not enough of an upgrade to justify $700

This will be my first quadcopter. Coming from helis and planes though. Thank you for you input, that's a great perspective.

solitude127 · Sep 17, 2015

nickyb said:
Tons better, as already mentioned both gps and goo as sats for better, faster lock on. Light bridge to enable 720p up to 2km, and upgraded camera to 2.7k

P3A comes with 2.7k camera now?

TheloniousMac · Sep 17, 2015

I don't think Glonas and LightBridge are enough of an upgrade to warrant the extra cost.
From what I've seen the lack of 60 FPS and no screw lens options for ND or Polariser filters are the biggest losses from Adv/Pro to the Standard.
I own both a Standard and an Inspire and will be doing a video quality comparison soon but the image isn't as sharp from all the footage I've taken so far.
The Standard is quick to launch, zippy and fun to fly and crazy cheap but awesome value for money.
The camera on the Standard is better than the GoPro 4 (just without that 60 FPS) so you're essentially getting a 3DR Solo for less than a third of the price and you know it will work better than a Solo.

redmoe · Sep 17, 2015

I would go with the advanced for the radio alone. The look and feel of the advanced/pro radio is so much nicer. Not to mention the enhanced range a vision positioning. Also the upgraded gps and the gimbal is different. If you have the budget you will not regret it.

Shammyh · Sep 17, 2015

I'd definitely go with the advanced. If I had known that the Adv would get 2.7K, I probably would have gone with that too over my P3P.

As of right now... absolutely no reason to get the P3P over the P3A, and every reason to get the P3A over the P3S.

adrian.ahonk · Sep 17, 2015

Advance wold be really nice deal. you'll get better remote, glonnass GPS Signal, better camera, and Light bridge. that cost more than 300 bucks I think.
as a bigginer you should buy an advance then the standart. you will happy to fly with it (really stable quard).

B- Scene Films · Sep 17, 2015

Shammyh said:
I'd definitely go with the advanced. If I had known that the Adv would get 2.7K, I probably would have gone with that too over my P3P.

As of right now... absolutely no reason to get the P3P over the P3A, and every reason to get the P3A over the P3S.

So no one should use 4K?

Chuck Young · Sep 18, 2015

Honestly if you are willing to drop $700 on a quad you should think seriously about what you expect from your quad.

B- Scene Films said:
So no one should use 4K?

Sorry man, that is ridiculous.

Even Trump in that one

LOL

John Locke · Sep 18, 2015

WiFi is old technology for video link, used on P3S. Versus lightbridge, WiFi gives you higher video latency, less distance, higher reconnect times and more frustration. You will eventually spend $200 to $300 for directional antennas and amplifiers on a P3S to equal a stock P3A. All other competitors use WiFi because it's cheap, however it wasn't designed for wireless video connections, unlike lightbridge. As time goes on I think you will lose your shirt with P3S because nobody will want them, using the same old technology everyone else uses. Plan to keep it because you may not be able to sell it. The P3A is the bargain to scoop up, nothing can touch it for value, but you'll want to buy the 100 watt charger too.

ELHEAPO · Sep 18, 2015

Why be standard when you could be Advanced?P3A all day long.

DBS · Sep 18, 2015

P3 Standard is also the lightest P3... giving it the longest flight time... not by much but 24 actual minutes in the air is pretty cool

Shammyh · Sep 18, 2015

B- Scene Films said:
So no one should use 4K?

It's more like the difference between 3840x2160p (P3P) and 2704 x 1520p (P3A) isn't worth $260.

Especially given the relatively low bit-rate of the "4K" video itself.

I shoot pretty much exclusively in 4K on my P3P and have the requisite gear to both edit and view 4K.
And personally, I would have traded the (almost) price of 2 batteries for the slightly downgraded video size.

Photos are exactly the same on each as well.

tcope · Sep 18, 2015

Ditto. P3A tech is worth the extra money. Pro is probably not worth the money over the Adv right now. I have the Pro.

Cerone · Sep 18, 2015

But the pro comes with gold stickers

aopisa · Sep 18, 2015

I have owned a Standard for about 3 weeks now. However, I just returned it and upgraded to the Advanced.

The Standard is awesome. However, I found that the wifi sometime limits the range and can't give me what I need to get the shots I want. As a photographer I also want to be able to use glass ND filters which you cannot do on the Standard. Finally, I like that there are camera controls on the remote for changing, exposure, etc.

So today my new advanced will be delivered and the Standard gets shipped back.

Now, if you just can't swing the extra $300 (which was a tough decision for me), the Standard is quite capable of doing many things and giving you some amazing video.